Pavel Kashuba on the Future of International E-Payments in 2026
Pavel Kashuba, Fintech Expert and Digital Payments Leader
For release: February 27, 2026
Category: Fintech, International E-Payments, Digital Finance
- **Author:**
The international e-payment industry is entering a pivotal transformation. The convergence of real-time settlement infrastructure, artificial intelligence, stablecoin maturation, and sweeping regulatory reform is redefining how money moves across borders. Pavel Kashuba, a fintech executive with over 15 years of experience in banking and digital payments, shares his outlook on the forces shaping the global payment industry in 2026 and beyond with particular attention to the growing role of the Asia-Pacific region and Australia's rapidly maturing fintech ecosystem.
Pavel Kashuba on Stablecoins Going Mainstream
Stablecoins have moved from the periphery of finance to the center of cross-border settlement. The passage of the U.S. GENIUS Act and Brazil's landmark Stablecoin Law which formally integrates digital assets into the national financial system for B2B payments signal a global shift toward institutional adoption. Visa now supports more than 130 stablecoinlinked card programs across over 40 countries, and the Web3 payments market is projected to reach $43.7 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 33%.
"Stablecoins will not replace banks — they will replace friction," Kashuba comments. "The deeper impact is real-time settlement, programmable money, and radical transparency. This fundamentally shifts value away from delaybased economics toward speed and automation."
Australia's fintech sector, valued at USD 4.5 billion in 2025 and projected to reach USD 9.7 billion by 2034, is well positioned to benefit from this shift. Hubs like Brisbane are producing innovative payments-asa-service companies that are already partnering with global card networks to deliver tailored payment solutions across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.
The Rise of Instant Payments
The global digital payment market, valued at $114.41 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $361.30 billion by 2030. Consumers and businesses now expect payments to be instant and borderless. The EU's Instant Payments Regulation is accelerating this shift — by July 2027, non-Euro EU countries must comply with mandatory SEPA Instant payments, making 2026 a critical preparation year for the entire industry. ISO 20022 adoption is also tightening data standards globally, with unstructured postal addresses set to be rejected from CBPR+ messages starting November 2026.
"The industry is moving from a world where cross-border payments took days and cost 5–7% in fees, to one where settlement happens in seconds at a fraction of the cost," Pavel Kashuba observes. "The G20 and FSB have set ambitious targets, and the infrastructure is finally catching up to the ambition."
In Australia, embedded finance and built-in B2B payment solutions are expected to be defining themes in 2026, as corporates increasingly integrate financial services directly into their technology stacks. Brisbane-based fintech firms are contributing to this trend, building infrastructure that enables seamless payment experiences for merchants and enterprise clients across the region.
Pavel Kashuba on AI and Agentic Commerce
The rise of agentic commerce AI agents that transact autonomously on behalf of consumers and businesses represents the next major evolution. Visa, Mastercard, and Global Payments have all identified this as a defining trend for 2026. When an AI agent negotiates, purchases, and settles a transaction without human intervention, every layer of the payment stack must operate seamlessly and in real time.
"Payment systems have progressed from face-to-face to e-commerce, to mobile commerce, and now to agentic commerce," Kashuba notes. "Each transition demanded new infrastructure. The companies that build for agentic payments today will define the rails of tomorrow."
AI-powered fraud detection, automated treasury management, and intelligent payment routing are also moving from experimentation to mainstream execution across the global industry.
Regulatory Evolution: PSD3, MiCA, and the Australian Landscape
The EU's PSD3 and the new Payment Services Regulation represent the most significant overhaul of European payment rules since PSD2, eliminating national implementation variations and ensuring uniform rules across all member states. Payment institutions will face stricter capital requirements, broader obligations around customer fund protection, and enhanced resilience standards. For crypto-payment processors, MiCA enforcement is reshaping the competitive landscape, with several
jurisdictions already suspending licenses from operators that failed to meet the new standards.
In Australia, new regulatory developments are similarly influencing how financial institutions and fintech companies conduct business. Regulatory frameworks around digital assets and payment services are evolving rapidly, creating both challenges and opportunities for industry participants across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and beyond.
"Clear regulation is ultimately positive for the industry," Pavel Kashuba says. "When the rules are well-defined and enforcement is consistent, it creates a level playing field that rewards companies committed to longterm compliance whether they operate in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, or globally."
The Road Ahead
By 2030, digital payments are projected to exceed $33.5 trillion globally, with digital wallets accounting for 65% of e-commerce transactions. B2B payments are expected to reach $224 trillion. The year 2026 may be the first in history where half of all consumer payments worldwide are made with card credentials.
"The future belongs to companies that can move money instantly, transparently, and at scale across every border and every currency," Kashuba concludes. "From Brisbane to Berlin, from São Paulo to Singapore, the pace of change in international payments has never been faster, and the opportunities have never been greater."
For Fintech Industry.
2026 Brisbane, Australia
Pavel Kashuba is a fintech executive with over 15 years of experience in banking, digital payments, and cryptocurrency payment infrastructure. He has held senior financial leadership positions across multiple international payment companies operating in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and the Americas.